Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

There is provided an information processing apparatus and an information processing method to increase movement patterns of an autonomous mobile body more easily, the information processing apparatus including an operation control unit configured to control an operation of a driving unit. The operation control unit generates, on the basis of a teaching movement, control sequence data for causing a driving unit of an autonomous mobile body to execute an autonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement, and causes the driving unit to execute the autonomous movement according to the control sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined by situation estimation. The information processing method includes controlling, by a processor, an operation of a driving unit, and the controlling further includes generating control sequence data, and causing the driving unit to execute an autonomous movement according to the control sequence data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/758,567 (filed on Apr. 23, 2020), which is a National Stage PatentApplication of PCT International Patent Application No.PCT/JP2018/028193 (filed on Jul. 27, 2018) under 35 U.S.C. § 371, whichclaims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-209157 (filed onOct. 30, 2017), which are all hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus,an information processing method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, various devices having a learning function have beendeveloped. The devices described above include an autonomous mobile bodysuch as a robot that performs an autonomous movement on the basis of anestimated situation. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a leg typemobile robot that performs autonomous movements and emotionalexpressions according to a situation.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2003-71763

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Meanwhile, a movement of the autonomous mobile body as described inPatent Document 1 is realized on the basis of control information andthe like regarding bending and stretching of a joint part set inadvance. Whereas, needs such as a user wanting the autonomous mobilebody to learn new movements are also expected, but it is difficult for auser without advanced technical knowledge to design a movement in a caseof desiring to make the autonomous mobile body execute complexcooperative movements with multiple joint parts.

Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a new and improvedinformation processing apparatus, information processing method, andprogram capable of easily increasing a movement pattern of an autonomousmobile body.

Solutions to Problems

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an informationprocessing apparatus including an operation control unit configured tocontrol an operation of a driving unit. The operation control unitgenerates, on the basis of a teaching movement, control sequence datafor causing a driving unit of an autonomous mobile body to execute anautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement, and causesthe driving unit to execute the autonomous movement according to thecontrol sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined bysituation estimation.

Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there is provided aninformation processing method that includes controlling, by a processor,an operation of a driving unit. The controlling further includesgenerating, on the basis of a teaching movement, control sequence datafor causing a driving unit of an autonomous mobile body to execute anautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement, and causingthe driving unit to execute the autonomous movement according to thecontrol sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined bysituation estimation.

Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there is provided aprogram for causing a computer to function as an information processingapparatus including an operation control unit configured to control anoperation of a driving unit. The operation control unit generates, onthe basis of a teaching movement, control sequence data for causing adriving unit of an autonomous mobile body to execute an autonomousmovement corresponding to the teaching movement, and causes the drivingunit to execute the autonomous movement according to the controlsequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined by situationestimation.

Effects of the Invention

As described above, according to the present disclosure, a movementpattern of the autonomous mobile body can be increased more easily.

Note that the effect above is not necessarily limited, and in additionto the effect above or instead of the effect above, any of the effectsdescribed in this specification, or other effects that may be understoodfrom the present specification may be exhibited.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a hardware configuration example of anautonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a configuration example of an actuator included in anautonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an operation of an actuator included inan autonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an operation of an actuator included inan autonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a function of a display included in anautonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a movement example of an autonomous mobilebody according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configurationaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example ofan autonomous mobile body according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example ofan information processing server according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining teaching of an action with use of auser interface according to a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining teaching by a physical bending andstretching movement of a joint part according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining teaching related to an imaged motion ofa mobile body according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining trimming based on a range of motionaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining teaching in which a relative positionrelated to a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies is specified,according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining editing of control sequence dataaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining an incentive situation according to theembodiment.

FIG. 17 is a view for explaining an incentive situation according to theembodiment.

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining transmission of control sequence datain an autonomous mobile body according to the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a control flow of an autonomous mobilebody 10 related to teaching by a physical bending and stretchingmovement of a joint part by a user, according to the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the autonomous mobilebody with an imaged motion of a mobile body as teaching, according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a view for explaining an action plan based on whether or nota user is detected, according to a second embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22 is a view for explaining an action plan that prioritizesreduction of power consumption, according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a view illustrating an example of an action plan thatachieves both a self-preservation desire and an approval desireaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a view for explaining an action plan based on a distancebetween a user and an autonomous mobile body according to theembodiment.

FIG. 25 is a view illustrating an example of an action plan based on achange in an environmental state according to the embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a view illustrating an example of an action plan based on achange in an environmental state according to the embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a view illustrating an example of an action plan based on achange in an environmental state according to the embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a view for explaining an action plan based on a control modeof the autonomous mobile body according to the embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a flow of an action plan according to theembodiment.

FIG. 30 is a view for explaining presentation of a recommended actionaccording to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 31 is a conceptual diagram describing an action plan based on arecommended action according to the embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a view for explaining presentation of a recommended actionbased on a degree of user's enthusiasm according to the embodimentaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a view for explaining collection of control sequence dataaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a view illustrating an example of a user interface of aclient application according to the embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a view for explaining additional registration to an objectrecognition dictionary according to the embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a view for explaining additional registration to a voicerecognition dictionary according to the embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a view for explaining a maintenance recommendation functionaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing a flow of presentation of a recommendedaction by an information processing server according to the embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of aninformation processing server according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Notethat, in this specification and the drawings, components havingsubstantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the samereference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

Note that the description will be made in the following order.

1. Configuration

1.1. Overview of autonomous mobile body 10

1.2. Hardware configuration example of autonomous mobile body 10

1.3. System configuration example

1.4. Functional configuration example of autonomous mobile body 10

1.5. Functional configuration example of information processing server20

2. First Embodiment

2.1. Overview

2.2. Generation of control sequence data

2.3. Control flow

3. Second Embodiment

3.1. Overview

3.2. Specific example of action plan

3.3. Control flow

4. Third Embodiment

4.1. Overview

4.2. Presentation of recommended action

4.3. Additional registration to recognition dictionary

4.4. Maintenance recommendation

4.5. Control flow

5. Hardware configuration example

6. Conclusion

1. CONFIGURATION

<<1.1. Overview of Autonomous Mobile Body 10>>

First, an overview of an autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The autonomousmobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure isan information processing apparatus that executes situation estimationbased on collected sensor information, and autonomously selects andexecutes various movements according to the situation. One feature ofthe autonomous mobile body 10 is to autonomously execute a movementestimated to be optimal for every situation, unlike a robot that simplyexecutes a movement according to a user's instruction command.

For this reason, depending on the situation, there is a case where theautonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure intentionally does not execute a movement corresponding to auser's instruction, or executes another behavior different from themovement. The situation described above corresponds to, for example, acase where the safety of a user, the autonomous mobile body 10, or asurrounding environment is impaired in a case where a movementcorresponding to a user's instruction is performed, and a case where theautonomous mobile body 10 prioritizes another desire (instinct) such ascharging processing, for example.

Furthermore, there is a case where the autonomous mobile body 10intentionally does not obey a user's instruction to attempt to induceinterest of the user, or tries to transmit emotions of itself andhardware status to the user.

Whereas, the autonomous mobile body 10 has a strong desire (instinct) tobe loved by the user. For this reason, the autonomous mobile body 10repeatedly executes a movement corresponding to a user's instruction toplease the user, and learns a movement liked by the user andspontaneously executes the movement even in a case where there is noinstruction.

As described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure determines and executes anautonomous movement by comprehensively determining desires, emotions,surrounding environments, and the like, similarly to animals includinghumans. In the point described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 isclearly different from a passive device that executes a correspondingmovement or processing on the basis of an instruction.

The autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be an autonomous mobile robot that autonomously moves ina space and executes various movements. The autonomous mobile body 10may be, for example, an autonomous mobile robot having a shape imitatinga human or an animal such as a dog and having a movement capability.Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 may be, for example, avehicle or other device having communication capability with the user. Ashape, capability, and a level of desires and the like of the autonomousmobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure maybe appropriately designed in accordance with the purpose and role.

<<1.2. Hardware Configuration Example of Autonomous Mobile Body 10>>

Next, a hardware configuration example of the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.Note that, hereinafter, a description is given to an example of a casewhere the autonomous mobile body 10 is a dog-shaped quadruped walkingrobot.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a hardware configuration example of theautonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the autonomous mobile body 10 is adog-shaped quadruped walking robot having a head, a torso, four legs,and a tail. Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 includes twodisplays 510 on the head.

Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 includes various sensors. Theautonomous mobile body 10 includes, for example, a microphone 515, acamera 520, a time of flight (ToF) sensor 525, a human sensor 530, adistance measurement sensor 535, a touch sensor 540, an illuminancesensor 545, a sole button 550, and an inertial sensor 555.

(Microphone 515)

The microphone 515 has a function of collecting surrounding sounds. Thesounds described above include, for example, user's utterance andsurrounding environmental sounds. The autonomous mobile body 10 mayinclude, for example, four microphones on the head. Providing aplurality of microphones 515 makes it possible to collect soundsgenerated in the surroundings with high sensitivity, and realizelocalization of the sound source.

(Camera 520)

The camera 520 has a function of imaging the user and the surroundingenvironment. The autonomous mobile body 10 may include, for example, twowide-angle cameras at a tip of the nose and the waist. In this case, thewide-angle camera arranged at the tip of the nose captures an imagecorresponding to a front visual field of the autonomous mobile body(that is, a visual field of the dog), and the wide-angle camera on thewaist captures an image of a surrounding region with an upper part as acenter. For example, the autonomous mobile body 10 can extract a featurepoint and the like of a ceiling on the basis of an image captured by thewide-angle camera arranged on the waist, and can realize simultaneouslocalization and mapping (SLAM).

(ToF Sensor 525)

The ToF sensor 525 has a function of detecting a distance from an objectexisting in front of the head. The ToF sensor 525 is provided at a tipof the nose of the head. The ToF sensor 525 makes it possible to detecta distance from various objects with high accuracy, and to realize amovement according to a relative position with respect to an objectincluding the user, an obstacle, and the like.

(Human Sensor 530)

The human sensor 530 has a function of detecting a location of the user,a pet raised by the user, and the like. The human sensor 530 is arrangedon the chest, for example. By detecting a mobile body that is present inthe front, the human sensor 530 can realize various movements for themobile body, for example, movements corresponding to emotions such asinterest, fear, and surprise.

(Distance Measurement Sensor 535)

The distance measurement sensor 535 has a function of acquiring asituation of a floor surface in front of the autonomous mobile body 10.The distance measurement sensor 535 is arranged on the chest, forexample. The distance measurement sensor 535 makes it possible to detecta distance from an object that is present on the floor surface in frontof the autonomous mobile body 10 with high accuracy, and to realize amovement corresponding to a relative position with the object.

(Touch Sensor 540)

The touch sensor 540 has a function of detecting contact by the user.The touch sensor 540 is arranged at a site where the user is likely totouch the autonomous mobile body 10, such as the top of the head, underthe chin, or the back, for example. The touch sensor 540 may be, forexample, an electrostatic capacitance type or pressure sensitive typetouch sensor. The touch sensor 540 makes it possible to detect contactactions such as touching, stroking, striking, and pressing by the user,and to perform a movement corresponding to the contact action.

(Illuminance Sensor 545)

The illuminance sensor 545 detects illuminance of a space where theautonomous mobile body 10 is located. For example, the illuminancesensor 545 may be arranged at the base of the tail on the back of thehead, and the like. The illuminance sensor 545 makes it possible todetect surrounding brightness, and to execute a movement correspondingto the brightness.

(Sole Button 550)

The sole button 550 has a function of detecting whether or not a legbottom surface of the autonomous mobile body 10 is in contact with thefloor. For this purpose, the sole button 550 is individually arranged atsites corresponding to paws of the four legs. The sole button 550 makesit possible to detect contact or non-contact between the autonomousmobile body 10 and the floor surface, and for example, makes it possibleto grasp that the autonomous mobile body 10 is lifted by the user, andthe like.

(Inertial Sensor 555)

The inertial sensor 555 is a six-axis sensor that detects physicalquantities such as a speed, an acceleration, and rotation of the headand the torso. That is, the inertial sensor 555 detects an accelerationand an angular velocity of an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis. Theinertial sensor 555 is individually arranged on the head and the torso.The inertial sensor 555 makes it possible to detect motions of the headand the torso of the autonomous mobile body 10 with high accuracy, andto realize movement control according to a situation.

An example of the sensors included in the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove. Note that the above-described configuration described withreference to FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the configuration of thesensors that may be included in the autonomous mobile body 10 is notlimited to such an example. In addition to the configuration describedabove, the autonomous mobile body 10 may further include, for example,various communication devices and the like including a temperaturesensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) signal receiver. The configuration of the sensor included in theautonomous mobile body 10 may be flexibly changed in accordance withspecifications and operations.

Subsequently, a configuration example of a joint part of the autonomousmobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure willbe described. FIG. 2 is a configuration example of an actuator 570included in the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has a total of 22 degrees ofrotational freedom, two for each of the ear and the tail, and one forthe mouth, in addition to rotation points illustrated in FIG. 2.

For example, the autonomous mobile body 10 can achieve both nodding anda head tilting movement by having three degrees of freedom in the head.Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 can realize a natural andflexible movement closer to a real dog, by reproducing a swing movementof the waist by the actuator 570 provided to the waist.

Note that the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure may realize the above-described 22 degrees ofrotational freedom by combining, for example, a one-axis actuator and atwo-axis actuator. For example, the one-axis actuator may beindividually employed for the elbows and the knees in the legs, and thetwo-axis actuator may be individually employed for the shoulders and thethighs.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views for explaining an operation of the actuator 570included in the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, the actuator 570 can drivea movable arm 590 at any rotational position and rotational speed byrotating an output gear with a motor 575.

Referring to FIG. 4, the actuator 570 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a rear cover 571, a gear BOX cover 572, acontrol board 573, a gear BOX base 574, the motor 575, a first gear 576,a second gear 577, an output gear 578, a detection magnet 579, and twobearings 580.

The actuator 570 according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay be, for example, a magnetic spin-valve giant magnetoresistive(svGMR). By the control board 573 rotating the motor 575 on the basis ofcontrol by a main processor, power is transmitted to the output gear 578via the first gear 576 and the second gear 577, and the movable arm 590can be driven.

Furthermore, by detecting, with a position sensor provided on thecontrol board 573, a rotation angle of the detection magnet 579 thatrotates in synchronization with the output gear 578, it is possible todetect a rotation angle of the movable arm 590, that is, a rotationalposition with high accuracy.

Note that the magnetic svGMR is a non-contact type and therefore isexcellent in durability, and has an advantage of being less affected bysignal fluctuations due to distance fluctuations of the detection magnet579 and the position sensor, when used in a GMR saturation region.

A configuration example of the actuator 570 included in the autonomousmobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure hasbeen described above. According to the configuration described above, itis possible to highly accurately control a bending and stretchingmovement of a joint part included in the autonomous mobile body 10, andto precisely detect a rotational position of the joint part.

Subsequently, a function of the display 510 included in the autonomousmobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure willbe described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining afunction of the display 510 included in the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Display 510)

The display 510 has a function of visually expressing eye movements andemotions of the autonomous mobile body 10. As illustrated in FIG. 5, thedisplay 510 can express a movement of the eyeball, pupil, and eyelidaccording to emotions and movements. The display 510 intentionally doesnot display characters, symbols, images that are not related to eyemotions, and the like, which produces natural movements close to a realanimal such as a dog.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the autonomous mobile body 10includes two displays 510 r and 5101 corresponding to the right eye andthe left eye, respectively. The displays 510 r and 5101 are realized by,for example, two independent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). TheOLED enables reproduction of a curved surface of the eyeball, and canrealize more natural exterior as compared to a case of expressing a pairof eyes with one flat display, or a case of expressing two eyes with twoindependent flat displays.

As described above, the displays 510 r and 5101 make it possible toexpress line-of-sight and emotions of the autonomous mobile body 10 asillustrated in FIG. 5 with high accuracy and flexibility. Furthermore,the user can intuitively grasp a state of the autonomous mobile body 10from a movement of the eyeball displayed on the display 510.

A hardware configuration example of the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove. According to the configuration described above, as illustrated inFIG. 6, it is possible to realize movements and emotional expressionscloser to real living things, by controlling movements of the jointparts and the eyeballs of the autonomous mobile body 10 with highaccuracy and flexibility. Note that, while FIG. 6 is a view illustratinga movement example of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 illustrates an externalstructure of the autonomous mobile body 10 in a simplified manner inorder to describe while focusing on movements of the joint parts and theeyeballs of the autonomous mobile body 10. Similarly, the externalstructure of the autonomous mobile body 10 may be illustrated in asimplified manner in the following description, but the hardwareconfiguration and the exterior of the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are not limited tothe examples illustrated in the drawings, and may be appropriatelydesigned.

<<1.3. System Configuration Example>>

Next, a system configuration example according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustratingan example of a system configuration according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, an information processingsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes aplurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10 and an information processingserver 20. Note that between the autonomous mobile body 10 and theinformation processing server 20, and between the autonomous mobilebodies 10 are connected so as to enable mutual communication via anetwork 30.

(Autonomous Mobile Body 10)

The autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure is an information processing apparatus that executessituation estimation based on collected sensor information, andautonomously selects and executes various movements according to thesituation. As described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, anautonomous mobile robot having a shape imitating a human or an animalsuch as a dog and having a movement capability.

(Information Processing Server 20)

The information processing server 20 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure is an information processing apparatus that isconnected to a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10 and has afunction of collecting various types of information from the autonomousmobile bodies 10. For example, the information processing server 20 canperform analysis and the like related to hardware status of theautonomous mobile body 10 and a degree of user's enthusiasm for theautonomous mobile body 10, from sensor information collected by theautonomous mobile body 10.

Furthermore, the information processing server 20 has a function ofpresenting, on the basis of a situation estimated by the autonomousmobile body 10, a recommended action to be performed by the autonomousmobile body 10 in the situation. At this time, the informationprocessing server 20 may transmit, to the autonomous mobile body 10,control sequence data for causing the autonomous mobile body 10 torealize the recommended action. The function described above provided tothe information processing server 20 will be separately described indetail.

(Network 30)

The network 30 has a function of connecting between the autonomousmobile body 10 and the information processing server 20, and between theautonomous mobile bodies 10. The network 30 may include: a public linenetwork such as the Internet, a telephone line network, and a satellitecommunication network; various local area networks (LANs) includingEthernet (registered trademark); a wide area network (WAN); and thelike. Furthermore, the network 30 may include a dedicated line networksuch as an Internet protocol-virtual private network (IP-VPN).Furthermore, the network 30 may include a wireless communication networksuch as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registeredtrademark).

A system configuration example according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure has been described above. Note that the configurationdescribed above with reference to FIG. 7 is merely an example, and theconfiguration of the information processing system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example. Forexample, the autonomous mobile body 10 may further perform informationcommunication with various external devices in addition to theinformation processing server 20. The external devices described abovemay include, for example, a server that sends weather, news, and otherservice information, various information processing terminals owned bythe user, home electric appliances, and the like. The systemconfiguration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure maybe flexibly modified in accordance with specifications and operations.

<<1.4. Functional Configuration Example of Autonomous Mobile Body 10>>

Next, a functional configuration example of the autonomous mobile body10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a functional configurationexample of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, the autonomous mobile body10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes aninput unit 110, a recognition unit 120, a learning unit 130, an actionplanning unit 140, an operation control unit 150, a driving unit 160, anoutput unit 170, and a server communication unit 180.

(Input Unit 110)

The input unit 110 has a function of collecting various kinds ofinformation regarding a user and a surrounding environment. The inputunit 110 collects, for example, user's utterance and environmentalsounds generated around the user, image information regarding the userand the surrounding environment, and various kinds of sensorinformation. For this purpose, the input unit 110 includes varioussensors illustrated in FIG. 1.

(Recognition Unit 120)

The recognition unit 120 has a function of performing various kinds ofrecognition related to the user, a surrounding environment, and a stateof the autonomous mobile body 10, on the basis of various kinds ofinformation collected by the input unit 110. As an example, therecognition unit 120 may perform human identification, recognition offacial expression and line-of-sight, object recognition, colorrecognition, shape recognition, marker recognition, obstaclerecognition, step recognition, brightness recognition, and the like.

Furthermore, the recognition unit 120 performs emotion recognition, wordunderstanding, sound source localization, and the like related to user'svoice. Furthermore, the recognition unit 120 can recognize contact bythe user and the like, surrounding temperature, existence of a mobilebody, a posture of the autonomous mobile body 10, and the like.

Moreover, the recognition unit 120 has a function of estimating andunderstanding a surrounding environment and a situation where theautonomous mobile body 10 is placed, on the basis of the recognizedinformation described above. At this time, the recognition unit 120 maycomprehensively perform situation estimation by using environmentalknowledge stored in advance.

(Learning Unit 130)

The learning unit 130 has a function of learning an environment(situation) and an action, and an effect of the action on theenvironment. The learning unit 130 realizes the learning described aboveby using, for example, a machine learning algorithm such as deeplearning. Note that the learning algorithm employed by the learning unit130 is not limited to the example described above, and can be designedas appropriate.

(Action Planning Unit 140)

The action planning unit 140 has a function of planning an action to beperformed by the autonomous mobile body 10, on the basis of a situationestimated by the recognition unit 120 and knowledge learned by thelearning unit 130. Details of the function of the action planning unit140 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will beseparately described later.

(Operation Control Unit 150)

The operation control unit 150 has a function of controlling operationsof the driving unit 160 and the output unit 170 on the basis of anaction plan by the action planning unit 140. The operation control unit150 performs rotation control of the actuator 570, display control ofthe display 510, sound output control of a speaker, and the like, forexample, on the basis of the action plan described above. Details of thefunction of the operation control unit 150 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure will be separately described in detail.

(Driving Unit 160)

The driving unit 160 has a function of bending and stretching aplurality of a joint part included in the autonomous mobile body 10 onthe basis of control by the operation control unit 150. Morespecifically, the driving unit 160 drives the actuator 570 included ineach joint part on the basis of control by the operation control unit150.

(Output Unit 170)

The output unit 170 has a function of outputting visual information andsound information on the basis of control by the operation control unit150. For this purpose, the output unit 170 includes the display 510 andthe speaker.

(Server Communication Unit 180)

The server communication unit 180 has a function of performinginformation communication with the information processing server 20 andother autonomous mobile bodies 10. For example, the server communicationunit 180 transmits information and the like regarding a situationrecognized by the recognition unit 120, to the information processingserver 20. Furthermore, for example, the server communication unit 180receives a recommended action and control sequence data related to therecommended action, from the information processing server 20.

A functional configuration example of the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove. Note that the configuration described above with reference toFIG. 8 is merely an example, and the functional configuration of theautonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure is not limited to the example. The functional configurationof the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure may be flexibly modified in accordance withspecifications and operations.

<<1.5. Functional Configuration Example of Information Processing Server20>>

Next, a functional configuration example of the information processingserver 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a functional configurationexample of the information processing server 20 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 9, theinformation processing server 20 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a learning unit 210, an actionrecommendation unit 220, an analysis unit 230, a storage unit 240, and aterminal communication unit 250.

(Learning Unit 210)

The learning unit 130 has a function of learning an environment(situation) and an action, and an effect of the action on theenvironment. At this time, the learning unit 210 has a feature oflearning based on an action history collected from a plurality ofautonomous mobile bodies 10. That is, the learning unit 210 can be saidto be collective intelligence common to the plurality of autonomousmobile bodies 10.

(Action Recommendation Unit 220)

The action recommendation unit 220 has a function of determining arecommended action recommended for the autonomous mobile body 10, on thebasis of information regarding situation estimation received from theautonomous mobile body 10, and on the basis of knowledge as collectiveintelligence that the learning unit 210 has. Furthermore, one feature ofthe action recommendation unit 220 is to transmit, to the autonomousmobile body via the terminal communication unit 250, control sequencedata for causing the autonomous mobile body 10 to realize therecommended action, together with the recommended action.

Here, the control sequence data described above is information includinga change in time series in a rotational position of the joint partsincluded in the autonomous mobile body 10, eyeball expressions, and acontrol signal related to sound output. That is, the control sequencedata can be said to be setting data for causing the autonomous mobilebody 10 to realize any given movement (action).

According to the function described above provided to the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, it is possible to add a new action that can be executed bythe autonomous mobile body 10 at any time, enabling continuousattraction and the like of user's interest in the autonomous mobile body10.

(Analysis Unit 230)

The analysis unit 230 has a function of performing various analyses onthe basis of information received from the autonomous mobile body 10.The analysis unit 230 can analyze a state of the actuator 570 and thelike on the basis of, for example, an action history and an operationstate received from the autonomous mobile body 10. Furthermore, theanalysis unit 230 can analyze user's interest (degree of enthusiasm) andthe like in the autonomous mobile body 10, on the basis of informationsuch as user's contact and reactions received from the autonomous mobilebody 10.

(Storage Unit 240)

The storage unit 240 has a function of accumulating information to beused by each configuration of the information processing server 20. Forexample, the storage unit 240 stores control sequence data received fromthe autonomous mobile body 10 in association with a situation and auser's reaction. Furthermore, the storage unit 240 stores information tobe used by the analysis unit 230 for analysis, and analysis results.

(Terminal Communication Unit 250)

The terminal communication unit 250 has a function of performinginformation communication with a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies10 via the network 30. The terminal communication unit 250 receivesinformation regarding situation estimation from the autonomous mobilebody 10, for example. Furthermore, for example, the terminalcommunication unit 250 transmits, to the autonomous mobile body 10,information regarding a recommended action determined by the actionrecommendation unit 220, and the control sequence data.

A functional configuration example of the information processing server20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed above. Note that the configuration described above withreference to FIG. 9 is merely an example, and the functionalconfiguration of the information processing server 20 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example. Theinformation processing server 20 may have a function of providing theuser with various user interfaces described later, for example.Furthermore, various functions provided to the information processingserver 20 can be realized by being distributed to a plurality ofdevices. The functional configuration of the information processingserver 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may beflexibly modified in accordance with specifications and operations.

2. FIRST EMBODIMENT

<<2.1. Overview>>

Next, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Asdescribed above, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure can execute various movements(actions) by having the display 510 that expresses movements of aplurality of joint parts and eyeballs.

Whereas, in order for the autonomous mobile body 10 to execute anaction, it is required to hold control sequence data corresponding tothe action. For this reason, in a case where there is no mechanism foradding new control sequence data to the autonomous mobile body 10, theautonomous mobile body 10 is to execute only an action that has been setat a time of product shipment.

In this case, user's interest in the repeatedly executed action is lost,which may be a factor that deteriorates a degree of enthusiasm for theautonomous mobile body 10. Furthermore, depending on the user, there maybe a desire to cause the autonomous mobile body 10 to memorize andexecute an original action, like teaching tricks to a real dog.

An autonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment isconceived by focusing on the points described above, and allows a userto easily make the autonomous mobile body 10 learn a new action.Therefore, one feature of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to thepresent embodiment is to generate, on the basis of a teaching movement,control sequence data for realizing an autonomous movement correspondingto the teaching movement. Furthermore, one feature of the autonomousmobile body 10 according to the present embodiment is to execute anautonomous movement corresponding to control sequence data on the basisof an action plan determined by situation estimation.

According to the above-described features provided to the autonomousmobile body 10 according to the present embodiment, the user can easilymake the autonomous mobile body 10 learn a new action, and an effect ofmaintaining a high degree of user's enthusiasm is expected.

<<2.2. Generation of Control Sequence Data>>

Next, generation of control sequence data according to the presentembodiment will be described in detail. The operation control unit 150of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment hasa function of generating, on the basis of a teaching movement, controlsequence data for realizing an autonomous movement corresponding to theteaching movement.

More specifically, the operation control unit 150 according to thepresent embodiment may generate control sequence data including at leastinformation regarding a change in a rotational position of a joint partin time series, on the basis of a teaching movement.

At this time, the user can teach, that is, make the autonomous mobilebody 10 learn a new action, by using a dedicated user interface, forexample. FIG. 10 is a view for explaining teaching of an action with useof a user interface according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a user interface UI1 for a user to teach a newaction to the autonomous mobile body 10. The user can access the userinterface UI1 through, for example, a computer, a smartphone, and thelike.

Referring to FIG. 10, the user interface UI1 according to the presentembodiment has, for example, two regions R1 and R2. The region R1 may bea region for the user to set a movement of a joint part of theautonomous mobile body 10. The user can teach a new action to theautonomous mobile body 10 by specifying a change in a rotationalposition of each joint part (direction of bending and stretching,magnitude, speed, and the like) in time series in the region R1. At thistime, for example, the user may specify a rotation angle and a rotationspeed of the joint part by operating a keyboard or a mouse.

Furthermore, the region R2 is a region for displaying a preview of theteaching movement specified by the user in the region R1. For example,the region R2 may display an avatar of the autonomous mobile body 10that reproduces a movement of the joint part specified by the user inthe region R1. Note that, in addition to the overhead view imageillustrated in the figure, the region R2 may display an image thatreproduces the teaching movement from the front, top, side, rear, andthe like of the autonomous mobile body 10.

Furthermore, the user can also teach the action by operating the avatarof the autonomous mobile body 10 displayed in the region R2 with amouse, a finger, and the like. On the basis of the user operationdescribed above executed in the region R2, the operation control unit150 according to the present embodiment can store the rotation angle andthe rotation speed of the actuator 570 corresponding to each joint part,and reflect on the setting of the region R1.

Furthermore, although not shown, the user can also set, in the userinterface U1, a movement of the eyeball of the autonomous mobile body 10to be displayed on the display 510, animal sound to be outputted to thespeaker, and the like.

In this way, the user interface UI1 according to the present embodimentallows the user to teach a new action finely and accurately, and enablesthe autonomous mobile body to execute a more accurate movement.

Furthermore, the teaching movement according to the present embodimentmay include a physical bending and stretching movement of a joint partby the user. The operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment can generate control sequence data on the basis of thephysical bending and stretching movement described above.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining teaching by a physical bending andstretching movement of a joint part according to the present embodiment.As illustrated in FIG. 11, the user can teach a new action by physicallybending and stretching a joint part of the autonomous mobile body 10with, for example, a hand UA and the like.

At this time, first, the user makes the autonomous mobile body 10recognize that a teaching movement is to be performed, by performingutterance such as “remember”, for example. Furthermore, when therecognition unit 120 recognizes that the bending and stretching movementby the user is started, the operation control unit 150 causes thedriving unit 160 to execute a relaxation operation of the joint part.

The relaxation operation described above refers to an operation to allowa state where the actuator 570 easily rotates with respect to a forceapplied from the outside, in order to realize the teaching movement bythe user. The actuator 570 according to the present embodiment isconfigured to be able to optionally adjust a resistance coefficient fora rotational motion, and can realize a state of being easy to rotate ora state of being difficult to rotate with respect to a force appliedfrom outside, for example. The relaxation operation according to thepresent embodiment allows the user to easily bend and stretch the jointpart, and can eliminate the possibility that a force is forcibly appliedto damage the actuator 570 and the risk of injury to the user.

Furthermore, when the user starts a bending and stretching movement of ajoint part, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment stores a change in a rotational position in time series, onthe basis of the rotational position of the joint part detected by aposition sensor included in the actuator 570.

As described above, the function described above provided to theoperation control unit 150 according to the present embodiment makes itpossible to intuitively teach a new action to the autonomous mobile body10 by directly moving the joint part, even by a user who is not familiarwith technical knowledge.

Furthermore, the teaching movement according to the present embodimentmay include motion of a mobile body having a joint. The operationcontrol unit 150 according to the present embodiment can also generatecontrol sequence data on the basis of an imaged motion of the mobilebody.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining teaching related to an imaged motion ofa mobile body according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 illustratesvisual information V1 related to a motion of a mobile body P1 outputtedfrom a display device, and the autonomous mobile body 10 that visuallyrecognizes the visual information V1.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the operation control unit 150 according tothe present embodiment can generate control sequence data correspondingto a teaching movement, with a motion of the mobile body imaged by theinput unit 110 as the teaching movement.

Note that FIG. 12 illustrates a case where the motion of the mobile bodyP1 is displayed as the visual information V1 by the display device, butthe motion of the mobile body according to the present embodiment is notlimited to this example. The motion of the mobile body according to thepresent embodiment widely includes, for example, a real movement by auser, a pet, or another autonomous mobile body, an animation displayedas visual information, and the like.

Furthermore, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment may generate control sequence data based on a motion of themobile body regardless of the presence or absence of an explicitinstruction from the user. That is, even in a case where the user doesnot give an instruction, the operation control unit 150 according to thepresent embodiment can autonomously generate control sequence datarelated to a new action, with a motion of a user or a pet, and visualinformation displayed by the display device as the teaching movement.

According to the function described above provided to the operationcontrol unit 150 according to the present embodiment, the autonomousmobile body 10 itself can imitate a motion of the user or the pet, andto autonomously learn a trendy dance and the like projected on thedisplay device, which can keep high interest of the user in theautonomous mobile body 10.

First, the operation control unit 150 estimates a position of a joint ofthe imaged mobile body, and acquires a joint part corresponding to eachjoint by using a relative joint map or the like. Moreover, the operationcontrol unit 150 calculates magnitude of a bending and stretching motionrelated to the joint of the mobile body, and converts the bending andstretching motion of the joint into a rotational position of thecorresponding joint part, and store.

At this time, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment may appropriately correct the movement of the joint of themobile body in accordance with a range of motion of the joint part. Forexample, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment can dynamically trim a part of the bending and stretchingmotion related to the joint of the mobile body, and record therotational position of the corresponding joint part. More specifically,in a case where the bending and stretching motion related to the jointof the mobile body exceeds a range of motion of the joint partcorresponding to the joint, the operation control unit 150 according tothe present embodiment can dynamically trim a part of the bending andstretching motion exceeding the range of motion.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining trimming based on a range of motionaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates a bending andstretching motion of the neck of a mobile body P3 outputted as visualinformation V2, and the autonomous mobile body 10 that visuallyrecognizes visual information V3.

Note that FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a case where the bending andstretching motion of the neck by the mobile body P3 exceeds a range ofmotion ROM of the actuator 570 arranged at the neck of the autonomousmobile body 10. At this time, the operation control unit 150 accordingto the present embodiment may trim the bending and stretching motion ofthe mobile body P3 exceeding the range of motion ROM, and generatecontrol sequence data so that a rotational position of the joint partfalls within the range of motion ROM.

According to the function described above provided to the operationcontrol unit 150 according to the present embodiment, control sequencedata can be dynamically generated so that the teaching movement fallswithin the range of motion of the joint part, and can cause theautonomous mobile body 10 to realize a reasonable natural movement.

Furthermore, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment can also generate control sequence data including positioninformation of the autonomous mobile body 10, for example. Specifically,the operation control unit 150 according to the present embodiment canexecute an action in which a position of the autonomous mobile body 10in a space is specified. According to the function described aboveprovided to the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment, the autonomous mobile body can execute, for example, anaction in which any given place in the user's home is specified or anaction in which a physical distance from the user is specified.

Furthermore, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment can also generate control sequence data including relativeposition information regarding a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies10.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining teaching in which a relative positionrelated to a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10 is specified,according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 illustrates motions ofmobile bodies P1 and P2 outputted as visual information V3, andautonomous mobile bodies 10 a and 10 b that visually recognize thevisual information V3.

Here, the motions of the mobile bodies P1 and P2 illustrated in FIG. 14may be, for example, a dance and the like in which a relative positionis important. At this time, on the basis of the recognized relativeposition of the mobile bodies P1 and P2, the operation control unit 150according to the present embodiment can generate control sequence datain which a relative position with respect to another autonomous mobilebody 10 is recorded in time series, together with a rotational positionof the joint part. For example, the operation control unit 150 canexecute an action based on the relative position, by communicating, withanother autonomous mobile body 10, information regarding theself-position estimated by the SLAM technology. Furthermore, theoperation control unit 150 may execute an action based on the relativeposition, for example, by recognizing a marker and the like that hasbeen set on the floor by the user.

As described above, the operation control unit 150 according to thepresent embodiment makes it possible to easily teach a new action to theautonomous mobile body 10 through a physical operation of the joint partand imaging. The function described above provided to the operationcontrol unit 150 according to the present embodiment is expected toprovide an effect of maintaining a high degree of user's enthusiasm forthe autonomous mobile body 10 without boring the user with a limitedaction.

Furthermore, the user can also edit the taught movement via, forexample, a user interface. FIG. 15 is a view for explaining editing ofcontrol sequence data according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 15 illustrates a user interface UI2 to be used by the user forediting a teaching movement. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the userinterface UI2 has the above-described regions R1 and R2. At this time,unlike the user interface UI1, the region R1 of the user interface UI2may display, in advance, information of control sequence data taughtthrough a physical operation of the joint part and imaging.

For example, with a mouse, a finger, and the like, the user can moreeasily edit the teaching movement by moving, copying, magnifying, orreducing motion bars M1 to M3 that specify a movement of each jointpart. The user interface UI2 according to the present embodiment makesit possible to, for example, copy a movement of the right front legtaught by a physical operation of the joint part to another leg, and tofinely specify a movement timing of each joint, which enables teachingmore reflecting an intention of the user.

Furthermore, the operation control unit 150 according to the presentembodiment can associate and store generated control sequence data andan incentive situation that induces the autonomous movementcorresponding to the control sequence data. Here, the incentivesituation described above refers to a situation that may be a trigger tocause the autonomous mobile body 10 to execute an autonomous movementcorresponding to the teaching movement. Furthermore, the incentivesituation according to the present embodiment includes varioussituations recognized by the recognition unit 120 on the basis of thesensor information collected by the input unit 110.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are views for explaining an incentive situationaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 illustrates an example inwhich the autonomous mobile body 10 executes an autonomous movementcorresponding to a teaching movement, with music outputted from thedisplay device as an incentive situation.

In a case of the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the music being playedwhen the teaching movement has been performed is autonomously saved asthe incentive situation, and the autonomous mobile body 10 performs theautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement whenrecognizing the same music. As described above, the autonomous mobilebody 10 according to the present embodiment can execute an autonomousmovement corresponding to the teaching movement on the basis of variousincentive situations.

Furthermore, FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a case where theautonomous mobile body 10 executes an autonomous movement correspondingto a teaching movement with recognition of a user U1 as an incentivesituation. The incentive situation according to the present embodimentmay be specified by the user. For example, the user can set a case wherethe user U1 is recognized on the birthday of the user U1 as an incentivesituation, and prompt the autonomous mobile body 10 to execute theautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement only once.

As described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to thepresent embodiment can execute an autonomous movement corresponding tothe teaching movement on the basis of the incentive situation stored byitself or the incentive situation specified by the user. This functionmakes it possible to realize a natural reaction closer to living thingsand an action more reflecting the user's intention.

Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the presentembodiment can transmit the control sequence data generated as describedabove, to another autonomous mobile body 10. FIG. 18 is a view forexplaining transmission of control sequence data between the autonomousmobile bodies 10 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example in which control sequence data CSgenerated by the autonomous mobile body 10 a is transmitted to theautonomous mobile body 10 b by wireless communication. In this way, theautonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment cantransmit the generated control sequence data CS to another autonomousmobile bodies 10.

According to the function described above provided to the autonomousmobile body 10 according to the present embodiment, for example, it ispossible to realize spreading of the movement without awareness betweena plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10 owned by a same user orbetween autonomous mobile bodies 10 owned by different users, whichmakes it possible to keep the high interest of the user and to promoteinteraction and the like between the users.

<<2.3. Control Flow>>

Next, a control flow of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to thepresent embodiment will be described in detail. First, a control flow ofthe autonomous mobile body 10 related to teaching by a physical bendingand stretching movement of a joint part by a user will be described.FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the autonomous mobilebody 10 related to teaching by a physical bending and stretchingmovement of a joint part by a user.

Referring to FIG. 19, first, the recognition unit 120 detects a startrequest for a teaching movement on the basis of user's utterance and thelike collected by the input unit 110 (S1101).

Next, the operation control unit 150 causes the driving unit 160 toexecute a relaxation operation on the basis of the detection of thestart request in step S1101 (S1102).

Subsequently, the operation control unit 150 detects a rotationalposition of the joint part bent and stretched by the user (S1103).

Furthermore, the operation control unit 150 records the detectedrotational position of the joint part in time series (S1104).

Next, the recognition unit 120 detects an end of the teaching movementon the basis of user's utterance and the like (S11105). Note that therecognition unit 120 may detect the end of the teaching movement in acase where the user does not operate the joint part for a predeterminedtime or more.

Next, the operation control unit 150 trims the recorded data (S1106). Atthis time, for example, the operation control unit 150 may trim a timeperiod from detection of the start to when the actual operation of thejoint part is performed, a time period from the most recent operation ofthe joint part to detection of the end, and the like.

Subsequently, the operation control unit 150 converts the recorded datainto control sequence data (S1107), and ends the processing.

Next, the control flow of the autonomous mobile body 10 with an imagedmotion of a mobile body as teaching will be described. FIG. 20 is aflowchart showing a control flow of the autonomous mobile body 10 withan imaged motion of a mobile body as teaching.

Referring to FIG. 20, first, a motion of a mobile body is imaged by theinput unit 110 (S1201).

Next, the operation control unit 150 executes estimation related to ajoint position of the mobile body (S1202).

Subsequently, the operation control unit 150 performs mapping betweenthe joint of the mobile body estimated in step S1202 and a joint partincluded in the driving unit 160 (S1203).

Next, the operation control unit 150 converts bending and stretching ofthe joint of the mobile body into a rotational position of the jointpart, and records (S1204).

Next, the operation control unit 150 trims the recorded data on thebasis of a range of motion and the like of the joint part (S1205).

Subsequently, the operation control unit 150 converts the recorded datainto control sequence data (S1206), and ends the processing.

3. SECOND EMBODIMENT

<<3.1. Overview>>

Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.In the first embodiment described above, the method for teaching a newaction to the autonomous mobile body 10 has been described in detail. Inthe second embodiment that follows, an action plan relating to variousmovements including the actions described above will be mainlydescribed.

As described above, an autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure performs a dynamic movement basedon an estimated situation, unlike a device that operates passively inaccordance with a user's instruction. At this time, one feature of theautonomous mobile body 10 is to perform a comprehensive action planbased on a plurality of conflicting desires, in addition to theestimated situation.

Examples of the plurality of conflicting desires described aboveinclude, for example, a self-preservation desire and an approval desire.The self-preservation desire described above is a desire to maintaincontinuous and safe activities of the autonomous mobile body 10. Morespecifically, the self-preservation desire according to the presentembodiment includes a desire for maintenance or replenishment ofcharging power of the autonomous mobile body 10. Furthermore, theself-preservation desire includes a desire for function maintenance orfunction recovery of the autonomous mobile body 10.

Furthermore, the approval desire described above is a desire to beloved, needed, or interested by the user. Therefore, the approval desireaccording to the present embodiment may widely include a desire toplease the user, not to disappoint the user, and the like, in order toachieve the event described above.

The autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure has both the self-preservation desire and the approval desiredescribed above, and thus can realize various more natural and flexibleaction patterns closer to a real animal. In the second embodiment of thepresent disclosure, description will be given in detail to a flexibleaction plan of the autonomous mobile body 10 based on theabove-described desire and situation estimation with a specific example.

<<3.2. Specific Example of Action Plan>>

As described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to thepresent embodiment has a plurality of conflicting desires, that is, theself-preservation desire and the approval desire. Specifically, theautonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment basicallyhas a desire to be loved by the user and to please the user, butsimultaneously has a desire to reduce power consumption and to chargethe battery, or a desire to not consume component parts.

Therefore, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may make an action plan that satisfies at least one of theself-preservation desire or the approval desire described above, on thebasis of a situation estimated by the recognition unit 120. For example,the action planning unit 140 can make an action plan that prioritizeseither the self-preservation desire or the approval desire.

For example, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may determine a desire to be prioritized depending on whetheror not a user is detected. Specifically, the action planning unit 140according to the present embodiment may make an action plan thatprioritizes the approval desire in a case where the user is detected,and make an action plan that prioritizes the self-preservation desire ina case where no user is detected.

FIG. 21 is a view for explaining an action plan based on whether or nota user is detected, according to the present embodiment. An upper partof FIG. 21 shows an example of a case where a user U2 is present in aperipheral region Z1 of the autonomous mobile body 10. At this time, theaction planning unit 140 according to the present embodiment makes anaction plan that prioritizes the approval desire, on the basis of therecognition unit 120 detecting the user U2 in the peripheral region Z1.For example, the action planning unit 140 may make an action plan suchas approaching the user U2 or performing some action for the user U2.

Whereas, a lower part of FIG. 21 shows an example of a case where nouser is present in the peripheral region Z1 of the autonomous mobilebody 10. At this time, the action planning unit 140 according to thepresent embodiment may make an action plan that prioritizes theself-preservation desire, on the basis of the recognition unit 120estimating the absence of the user. Note that the recognition unit 120may estimate the absence of the user in a case where, for example, theuser is not shown in an image captured by the input unit 110, in a casewhere user's utterance is not detected, and the like. Furthermore, therecognition unit 120 can also estimate the absence of the user on thebasis of user's schedule information.

As described above, the self-preservation desire according to thepresent embodiment includes a desire related to charging power of theautonomous mobile body 10. Therefore, in a case where the user is notdetected, the action planning unit 140 may make an action plan thatprioritizes maintenance or replenishment of charging power. In a case ofthe example shown in the lower part of FIG. 21, the action planning unit140 plans replenishment of charging power, and the operation controlunit 150 connects the autonomous mobile body 10 to a charging device 50on the basis of the plan.

Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may execute various action plans for reducing powerconsumption in a case where charging is not necessary. FIG. 22 is a viewfor explaining an action plan that prioritizes reduction of powerconsumption, according to the present embodiment.

For example, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may execute a plan for stopping output of visual expressionrelated to an eyeball movement by the display 510, in order to reducepower consumption. Furthermore, similarly, the action planning unit 140can perform a plan for stopping output of sound by the speaker and datacollection by various sensors.

Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 may reduce power consumptionby planning to slow movements of joint parts or an action of sleeping onthe spot. Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 may plan an actionsuch as turning off a processor or the power.

Furthermore, the self-preservation desire according to the presentembodiment includes a desire related to function maintenance of theautonomous mobile body 10. Therefore, an action plan that prioritizesfunction maintenance and function recovery of the autonomous mobile body10 according to the present embodiment may be made.

For example, in a case where a malfunction is detected in an operationof the actuator 570, the action planning unit 140 may make an actionplan for not operating the corresponding actuator 570 as much aspossible so as not to deteriorate the malfunction. Furthermore, forexample, the action planning unit 140 may prioritize functionmaintenance, and may plan execution of calibration related to thedisplay 510 and various sensors.

Note that, in a case where a degree of the self-preservation desire asdescribed above is very large, the action planning unit 140 may make anaction plan that prioritizes the self-preservation desire. For example,in a case where charging power is almost exhausted, a case where theactuator 570 is severely damaged, and the like, the action planning unit140 plans an action that prioritizes the self-preservation desire evenin a case where the user is present.

Whereas, in a case where a degree of the self-preservation desire isbelow a threshold, the action planning unit 140 can cause the autonomousmobile body 10 to realize various movements for meeting user'sexpectations, by performing an action plan that prioritizes the approvaldesire.

In this way, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment makes it possible to realize a complex and flexible actionpattern close to that of a real animal, by controlling the priority ofthe self-preservation desire and the approval desire in accordance withthe situation.

Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may plan an action that can satisfy both desires at the sametime, regardless of a case where the self-preservation desire isprioritized or where the approval desire is prioritized. For example, ina case of having detected the user in the visual field, in a case ofbeing called by the user, and the like, there is also a case where powerconsumption can be reduced by performing an action according to a user'sstate and the like, instead of rushing to the user immediately.

FIG. 23 is a view illustrating an example of an action plan thatachieves both the self-preservation desire and the approval desireaccording to the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 23 illustrates anexample of an action plan when called by the user.

First, when user's utterance is detected by the recognition unit 120,the action planning unit 140 plans an action for directing line-of-sightto be displayed on the display 510 toward the user. The functiondescribed above provided to the action planning unit 140 makes possibleto realize a quick reaction and to prevent a careless operation of theactuator 570, by firstly controlling only visual information regardingan eyeball movement before operating the actuator 570.

Subsequently, in a case where the recognition unit 120 recognizes thatthe user is calling toward the autonomous mobile body 10 or that theuser's line-of-sight is directed toward the autonomous mobile body 10,the head and the torso are directed toward the user in this order,following the line-of-sight. At this time, by returning the pupil to thecenter of the display 510 while keeping the line-of-sight at the user,and simultaneously directing the head toward the user, the actionplanning unit 140 can realize a more natural movement of the autonomousmobile body 10.

Similarly, by planning an action so as to gradually reduce an angledifference between with the torso while keeping the head in thedirection of the user, the action planning unit can realize a naturalmovement and prevent an increase in power consumption due to an abruptmovement.

Furthermore, at this time, the action planning unit 140 according to thepresent embodiment may make an action plan based on a distance betweenthe user and the autonomous mobile body 10. FIG. 24 is a view forexplaining an action plan based on a distance between the user and theautonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 24 illustrates an example of an action to be planned in accordancewith a distance from the user U2. Specifically, as shown in an upperstage of FIG. 24, in a case where a distance d between the user U2 andthe autonomous mobile body 10 is long, the action planning unit 140 mayfirst plan an action so as to direct only the line-of-sight toward theuser.

Whereas, as shown in a middle stage of FIG. 24, in a case where thedistance d between the user U2 and the autonomous mobile body 10 ismedium, the action planning unit 140 plans an action so as to direct thehead toward the user, following the line-of-sight.

Furthermore, as shown in a lower stage of FIG. 24, in a case where thedistance d between the user U2 and the autonomous mobile body 10 isshort, the action planning unit 140 makes an action plan so as to directthe torso toward the user, following the line-of-sight and the head.

In this way, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment makes it possible to plan a flexible action on the basis ofthe distance between the user and the autonomous mobile body 10. Thefunction described above provided to the action planning unit 140enables actions such as, while suppressing power consumption by firstlymoving only the line-of-sight, operating the actuator 570 in accordancewith a degree of approach of the user thereafter, which makes itpossible to efficiently reduce the power consumption while showing acertain reaction to the user.

Note that the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may make the action plan as described above on the basis of astrength of the user's request. After directing the line-of-sight, theaction planning unit 140 may plan an action for directing the head andthe torso in a case where the user continues to call on the autonomousmobile body 10 or approaches the autonomous mobile body 10.

Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment may make an action plan on the basis of a psychologicaldistance from the user, in addition to a physical distance from theuser. For example, the action planning unit 140 can plan actions such asrunning up to the user even in a case of being called from a distancewhen the usage is sufficiently continued, while just directing theline-of-sight in a case of being called from a distance shortly afterthe user uses the autonomous mobile body 10.

Furthermore, in addition to the action plan described above, the actionplanning unit 140 according to the present embodiment can plan variousactions based on a change in a surrounding environmental state and auser's state. For example, the action planning unit 140 according to thepresent embodiment can make a flexible action plan on the basis of adetected change in an illumination environment, and the like.

FIGS. 25 to 27 are views illustrating an example of an action plan basedon a change in an environmental state, according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 25 illustrates the autonomous mobile body 10accommodated in a box, a carry bag, or the like by the user U2. At thistime, the action planning unit 140 according to the present embodimentmay plan an action for autonomously turning off the power on the basisof the recognition unit 120 detecting the accommodation of theautonomous mobile body 10 by the user U2.

The function described above provided to the action planning unit 140makes it possible to satisfy the self-preservation desire related tocharging power and function maintenance, and simultaneously satisfy theapproval desire by executing an action considering a user's intention.

Note that the recognition unit 120 can recognize the action ofaccommodating the autonomous mobile body 10 by the user U2 on the basisof, for example, a sudden decrease of the illuminance, restriction on anoperation of the actuator 570 by an obstacle, and the like.

Furthermore, in a case where the user U2 accommodates the autonomousmobile body 10 in a tote bag or the like with the head put out, forexample, the action planning unit 140 may make an action plan so as notto operate the actuator of the torso or the leg while maintaining outputof visual information regarding the eye movement by the display 510, andthe movement of the head, the ears, and the mouth.

Furthermore, FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate an action of the autonomousmobile body 10 when being covered with a blanket or the like by theuser. At this time, the action planning unit 140 according to thepresent embodiment may make an action plan that satisfies at least oneof the self-preservation desire or the approval desire on the basis ofdetection of a sudden change in the illumination environment.Furthermore, at this time, the action planning unit 140 may determinethe priority related to the self-preservation desire and the approvaldesire, on the basis of a surrounding environment and a user's state.

For example, in a case of the example illustrated in FIG. 26, the actionplanning unit 140 makes an action plan of trying to escape from theblanket on the basis of the fact that it is still an early time for theuser to go to bed or user's laughing voice or the like is detected. Theaction planning unit 140 may plan an action so as to move the autonomousmobile body 10 in a brighter direction.

In this way, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment can realize an action that meets expectations of the user byplanning a reaction like a real dog, in a case where the user's prank isestimated from a state including the user's reaction, the surroundingenvironment, and the like.

Whereas, in a case of the example illustrated in FIG. 27, the actionplanning unit 140 plans an action of sleeping with the user, on thebasis of the fact that it is the time for the user to go to bed, theuser wears a nightclothes, and the like. Specifically, the actionplanning unit 140 may make an action plan for turning off the powerafter the autonomous mobile body 10 is in a supine state.

In this way, in a case where it is estimated that the user is going tosleep together from the user's state, the surrounding environment, andthe like, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment can satisfy both the approval desire and theself-preservation desire by performing an action for suppressing powerconsumption while meeting user expectations.

Furthermore, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment can also make an action plan based on a control mode of theautonomous mobile body 10, for example. Examples of the control modedescribed above include, for example, a silent mode and the like inwhich no sound is outputted.

FIG. 28 is a view for explaining an action plan based on a control modeof the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment. Aleft side of FIG. 28 exemplifies an action of the autonomous mobile body10 in a case where the control mode of the autonomous mobile body 10 isa normal mode. At this time, the action planning unit 140 according tothe present embodiment may plan an action of outputting animal sound andopening a mouth in response to user's call or the like.

Whereas, a right side of FIG. 28 exemplifies an action of the autonomousmobile body 10 in a case where the control mode of the autonomous mobilebody 10 is the silent mode. At this time, the action planning unit 140according to the present embodiment may make an action plan so as not tooutput animal sound in accordance with the silent mode, and not to openthe mouth.

According to the function described above provided to the actionplanning unit 140 according to the present embodiment, it is possible torealize a more natural movement by closing the mouth when animal soundis not outputted, and can effectively reduce power consumption at thesame time, by not opening the mouth.

Furthermore, at this time, the action planning unit 140 may realize aresponse to the user by planning a change of output of visualinformation regarding an eye movement by the display 510 and anon-verbal action by the tail, instead of the movement of the mouth.

In this way, the action planning unit 140 according to the presentembodiment makes it possible to realize an action that achieves both theself-preservation desire and the approval desire.

Note that the silent mode according to the present embodiment may be setas a part of the action plan of the action planning unit 140, inaddition to being set by the user. For example, in a case where it isdetected that the user is having a conversation with another person andthe like, the action planning unit 140 can autonomously plan transitionto the silent mode.

<<3.3. Control Flow>>

Next, a flow of an action plan of the autonomous mobile body 10according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 29is a flowchart showing a flow of an action plan according to the presentembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 29, first, the input unit 110 collects sensorinformation (S2101).

Next, the recognition unit 120 executes various kinds of recognitionprocessing on the basis of the sensor information collected in stepS2101 (S2102).

Furthermore, the recognition unit 120 performs comprehensive situationestimation on the basis of various events recognized in step S2102(S2103).

Note that the sensor information collection, the recognition processing,and the situation estimation in steps S2101 to 2103 may be executedconstantly and continuously.

Next, the action planning unit 140 makes an action plan to be executedby the autonomous mobile body 10, on the basis of the situationestimated in step S2103 and the self-preservation desire and theapproval desire (S2104).

Next, on the basis of the action plan determined in step S2104, theoperation control unit 150 controls operations of the driving unit 160and the output unit 170, and the action is executed (S2105).

4. THIRD EMBODIMENT

<<4.1. Overview>>

Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Inthe first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, theaction planning function and the operation control function provided tothe autonomous mobile body 10 have been mainly described. Whereas, inthe third embodiment of the present disclosure, a description will begiven while focusing on functions provided to an information processingserver 20.

As described above, an autonomous mobile body 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure has a situation estimationfunction, the action planning function, and the operation controlfunction, and can perform an autonomous action. That is, it can be saidthat the autonomous mobile body 10 is a device that can perform amovement independently. Whereas, in a case where the autonomous mobilebody 10 performs a movement completely independently, learning isperformed on the basis only of the movement executed by itself, and itis difficult to share the result of learning with other autonomousmobile bodies 10.

Furthermore, although it is possible to increase actions that may betaken through user's teaching even in a case where the autonomous mobilebody 10 performs a movement independently, there is room for furtherimprovement in order to collect more actions that interest a user.

The information processing server 20 according to the present embodimentis conceived focusing on the points described above. The informationprocessing server 20 enables each autonomous mobile body 10 to performmore appropriate actions, by providing collective intelligence based onan action history collected from a plurality of autonomous mobile bodies10.

For this purpose, the information processing server 20 includes anaction recommendation unit 220 configured to present a recommendedaction recommended to the autonomous mobile body 10, for the autonomousmobile body 10 that performs an action plan based on situationestimation. Furthermore, one feature of the action recommendation unit220 is to determine the recommended action described above, on the basisof an action history collected from a plurality of autonomous mobilebodies 10 and a situation summary received from the autonomous mobilebody 10 that is a target of the recommendation (also referred to as atarget autonomous mobile body).

Hereinafter, description will be given in detail to functions providedto the information processing server 20 according to the presentembodiment and effects produced by the functions.

<<4.2. Presentation of Recommended Action>>

First, a recommended action presentation function by the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. As described above, the autonomous mobile body 10 accordingto the present embodiment can independently perform an action plan basedon situation estimation. However, depending on the situation, there maybe a case where reliability related to the action plan is not sufficientor the plan tends to be uniform. These may become factors thatdeteriorates user's satisfaction and a degree of enthusiasm for theautonomous mobile body 10.

For this reason, the information processing server 20 according to thepresent embodiment can support the target autonomous mobile body toperform a more appropriate movement, by presenting a recommended actionto the target autonomous mobile body on the basis of the action historycollected from the plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10.

FIG. 30 is a view for explaining presentation of a recommended actionaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 30 illustrates the autonomousmobile body 10 as the target autonomous mobile body, and the informationprocessing server 20. Note that FIG. 30 illustrates two autonomousmobile bodies 10 for explanation, but the two autonomous mobile bodies10 are the same target autonomous mobile body.

A left side of FIG. 30 shows an example of a case where the autonomousmobile body 10 as the target autonomous mobile body performs an actionplan independently on the basis of situation estimation. At this time,the autonomous mobile body 10 may plan, for example, a movementindicated by a left balloon in the figure.

Whereas, the action recommendation unit 220 of the informationprocessing server 20 according to the present embodiment can determine arecommended action to be recommended to the target autonomous mobilebody, on the basis of summary information (also referred to as asituation summary) related to the situation estimation received from theautonomous mobile body 10 as the target autonomous mobile body, andpresent the recommended action to the target autonomous mobile body.Note that the recommended action recommended by the actionrecommendation unit 220 may be a movement indicated by a balloon on theupper right in the figure.

Furthermore, at this time, one feature of the action recommendation unit220 according to the present embodiment is to provide control sequencedata CS for realizing a movement corresponding to the recommendedaction, to the target autonomous mobile body via a terminalcommunication unit 250.

In this way, the action recommendation unit 220 according to the presentembodiment can present a recommended action and control sequence datarelated to the recommended action to the target autonomous mobile body,and allows the target autonomous mobile body to execute a new actionthat is predicted to cause a good user response.

Subsequently, description will be given in detail to presentation of therecommended action by the action recommendation unit 220 according tothe present embodiment and a flow of the action plan of the autonomousmobile body 10. FIG. 31 is a conceptual diagram describing an actionplan based on a recommended action according to the present embodiment.

First, a recognition unit 120 of the autonomous mobile body 10 executesvarious kinds of recognition and situation estimation on the basis ofsensor information collected by an input unit 110. At this time, therecognition unit 120 delivers a situation estimation result to an actionplanning unit 140, and transmits a situation summary to the actionrecommendation unit 220 of the information processing server 20.

Next, the action recommendation unit 220 according to the presentembodiment uses the situation summary received from the recognition unit120 and knowledge as collective intelligence that a learning unit 210has regarding the plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10, to determinea recommended action and present information regarding the recommendedaction to the action planning unit 140.

Next, the action planning unit 140 according to the present embodimentdetermines an action to be actually executed, on the basis of aplurality of action candidates based on the situation estimation by therecognition unit 120, and on the basis of the recommended actionrecommended by the action recommendation unit 220. At this time, theaction planning unit 140 may make a final action determination on thebasis of reliability of each action candidate and the like. Thus, theaction planning unit 140 according to the present embodiment does notnecessarily adopt the recommended action.

Subsequently, the operation control unit 150 controls a driving unit 160and an output unit 170 on the basis of the action plan determined by theaction planning unit 140, to realize a movement by the autonomous mobilebody 10.

At this time, the action planning unit 140 associates the situationestimation by the recognition unit 120, the determined action plan, anda reaction (feedback) of a user U2 for the executed movement, andtransmits to the information processing server 20.

The information described above is stored as an action history in astorage unit 240 of the information processing server 20, and is usedfor learning by the learning unit 210. Note that feedback of the user U2may be stored in a state of being quantified through analysis by ananalysis unit 230. The analysis unit 230 can quantify whether the user'sreaction is good or bad on the basis of, for example, user's facialexpression or utterance.

Thus, the information processing system according to the presentembodiment enables effective learning of a movement that furtherattracts user's interest, through situation estimation, presentation ofa recommended action, action plan, operation control, action historycorrection, and repeated execution.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the action recommendation unit 220may present the recommended action on the basis of, for example, adegree of user's enthusiasm for the target autonomous mobile body. FIG.32 is a view for explaining presentation of a recommended action basedon a degree of user's enthusiasm according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 32 illustrates the user U2 with a lowered degree of enthusiasm forthe autonomous mobile body 10 that is the target autonomous mobile body.At this time, the action recommendation unit 220 according to thepresent embodiment may present a recommended action and provide thecontrol sequence data CS to the autonomous mobile body 10, on the basisof the analysis unit 230 having analyzed that the degree of enthusiasmof the user U2 has decreased.

Note that, for example, the analysis unit 230 can analyze the degree ofenthusiasm described above on the basis of the feedback of the user U2to the movement executed by the autonomous mobile body 10, the number ofcontacts to the autonomous mobile body 10 by the user U2, the number ofcalls, an activation time of the autonomous mobile body 10, and thelike.

Furthermore, the degree of enthusiasm may be analyzed by the autonomousmobile body 10. In this case, the autonomous mobile body 10 requests theinformation processing server 20 for a recommended action, on the basisof the fact that the degree of user's enthusiasm is decreasing.Furthermore, the action recommendation unit 220 can present therecommended action to the autonomous mobile body 10 on the basis of asituation request.

According to the function described above provided to the informationprocessing server 20 and the autonomous mobile body 10 according to thepresent embodiment, it is possible to efficiently increase new actionsthat may be executed by the autonomous mobile body 10, and to prevent adecrease of a degree of user's enthusiasm.

Next, a mechanism in which the action recommendation unit 220 accordingto the present embodiment collects control sequence data from aplurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10 will be described. FIG. 33 is aview for explaining collection of control sequence data according to thepresent embodiment.

FIG. 33 illustrates the autonomous mobile body 10 that executes amovement and the user U2 that performs positive feedback on themovement. Thus, in a case where user's feedback on the executed movementis positive, the autonomous mobile body 10 may transmit the situationsummary, the control sequence data CS relating to the executed movement,and the user's feedback, to the information processing server 20 as anaction history.

As described above, the action recommendation unit 220 according to thepresent embodiment can efficiently collect control sequence datacorresponding to a movement for which the user has shown positivefeedback, from the plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10. Accordingto the mechanism described above, control sequence data collected fromanother autonomous mobile body 10 can be provided to the targetautonomous mobile body, and the movement assumed to be effective for theuser can be shared among the plurality of autonomous mobile bodies 10.

Furthermore, download and upload of the control sequence data accordingto the present embodiment can be optionally performed by the user via aclient application, for example. At this time, the user may be able tolimit a range for disclosing the control sequence data, for example, toa group such as friends or a workplace. This function makes it possibleto spread and share favorite movements within the group, and an effectof promoting communication between users is also expected.

Furthermore, together with the download described above, the user canalso set an incentive situation described in the first embodiment viathe client application. FIG. 34 is a view illustrating an example of auser interface of the client application according to the presentembodiment.

FIG. 34 illustrates a user interface UI3 that enables setting of anincentive situation and downloading of control sequence data. Forexample, in the user interface UI3, the user may be able to respectivelyselect an incentive situation and a corresponding movement from optionsOP1 and OP2.

In a case of the example illustrated in FIG. 34, the user can select anincentive situation such as “when it rains”, “when the user returnshome”, or “when the autonomous mobile body 10 is in a bad mood” from theoption OP1. Note that, as for the incentive situation, for example, afield and the like for specifying a more detailed situation may beprovided.

Furthermore, the user can specify any given movement to be associatedwith the incentive situation from the option OP2. At this time, the usermay be able to check a preview of the movement by pressing buttons b1 tob3, for example. The user can download control sequence data of themovement associated with the incentive condition to the autonomousmobile body 10, by selecting any given movement and pressing a button b4while checking the movement preview.

<<4.3. Additional Registration to Recognition Dictionary>>

Next, description will be given to an additional registration functionfor a recognition dictionary included in the action recommendation unit220 according to the present embodiment. The action recommendation unit220 according to the present embodiment may have an additionalregistration function for new data for an object recognition dictionaryand a voice recognition dictionary included in the autonomous mobilebody 10, in addition to presentation of the recommended action to theautonomous mobile body 10.

FIG. 35 is a view for explaining additional registration to the objectrecognition dictionary according to the present embodiment. A left sideof FIG. 35 shows the user U2 who causes the autonomous mobile body 10 tonewly learn object recognition related to an apple.

In a case where a voice recognition result and image data related to“apple” are associated and registered in an object recognitiondictionary 122 a included in the autonomous mobile body 10 by the actiondescribed above, the action recommendation unit 220 according to thepresent embodiment may collect data newly registered in the objectrecognition dictionary 122 a, and may additionally register the data inan object recognition dictionary 122 b of the autonomous mobile body 10b as the target autonomous mobile body.

According to the function described above provided to the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to the present embodiment, it ispossible to efficiently enrich the contents of the object recognitiondictionary 122 included in the autonomous mobile body 10, and to improvegeneralization performance related to object recognition.

Furthermore, FIG. 36 is a view for explaining additional registration tothe voice recognition dictionary according to the present embodiment. Aleft side of FIG. 36 shows the autonomous mobile body 10 that has failedin voice recognition of utterance made by the user U2. At this time, theaction recommendation unit 220 according to the present embodimentcollects a recognition failure log related to the utterance made by theuser U2, from the autonomous mobile body 10. Note that the recognitionfailure log includes voice data including the utterance of the user U2.

Subsequently, the action recommendation unit 220 causes plurality ofrecognition engines 60 a to 60 c to recognize user's utterance voiceincluded in the collected recognition failure log, and acquires arecognition result. Here, in a case where plausible data is obtainedfrom a plurality of acquired recognition results, the actionrecommendation unit 220 may additionally register the data into thevoice recognition dictionary 124 included in the autonomous mobile body10.

According to the function described above provided to the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to the present embodiment, it ispossible to efficiently enrich the contents of the voice recognitiondictionary 124 included in the autonomous mobile body 10, and to improvegeneralization performance related to object recognition.

<<4.4. Maintenance Recommendation>>

Next, a maintenance recommendation function provided to the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. The action recommendation unit 220 according to the presentembodiment may have a recommendation function related to maintenance ofthe autonomous mobile body 10, in addition to the presentation of arecommended action to the autonomous mobile body 10.

FIG. 37 is a view for explaining the maintenance recommendation functionaccording to the present embodiment. A left side of FIG. 37 shows theautonomous mobile body 10 in which a malfunction has occurred in anactuator 570 of the right front leg. At this time, the actionrecommendation unit 220 according to the present embodiment can transmita notification for recommending maintenance to the user, on the basis ofan analysis result of an operation state of the autonomous mobile body10 by the analysis unit 230.

For example, on the basis of information regarding an operation state ofa component part such as the actuator 570 received from the autonomousmobile body 10, the analysis unit 230 can detect or predictdeterioration or a malfunction of the component part. Here, examples ofthe information regarding the operation state described above include,for example, an action failure log related to the component part inaddition to an accumulated operation count and an accumulated operationtime. The action failure log described above includes a log such as anerror notification that is outputted when a component part does notoperate as controlled by the operation control unit 150.

For example, in a case where a malfunction and the like of the componentpart is estimated from the action failure log, the action recommendationunit 220 according to the present embodiment may transmit a notificationfor recommending maintenance of the component part to an informationprocessing terminal 40 owned by the user. Furthermore, the actionrecommendation unit 220 may transmit the notification described abovevia the client application as described above.

Furthermore, the action recommendation unit 220 according to the presentembodiment can also automatically place an order and the like for acomponent part in a case where a malfunction of the component part isdetected or predicted.

Thus, the action recommendation unit 220 and the analysis unit 230according to the present embodiment make it possible to detect amalfunction of a component part of the autonomous mobile body 10 at anearly stage, and use the autonomous mobile body 10 in a safe state for along period of time.

<<4.5. Control Flow>>

Next, a flow of presentation of a recommended action by the informationprocessing server 20 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed in detail. FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing a flow ofpresentation of a recommended action by the information processingserver 20 according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 38, first, the terminal communication unit 250receives a situation summary from the target autonomous mobile body(S3101).

Next, the action recommendation unit 220 determines a recommended actionon the basis of the situation summary received in step S3101 andknowledge as collective intelligence that the learning unit 210 has(S3102).

Subsequently, the action recommendation unit 220 acquires controlsequence data corresponding to the recommended action determined in stepS3102, from the storage unit 240 (S3103).

Subsequently, the action recommendation unit 220 transmits informationregarding the recommended action determined in step S3102 and thecontrol sequence data acquired in step S3103, to the target autonomousmobile body via the terminal communication unit 250 (S3104).

5. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE

Next, a hardware configuration example of the information processingserver 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 39 is a block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration example of the information processing server 20 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 39, theinformation processing server 20 includes, for example, a CPU 871, a ROM872, a RAM 873, a host bus 874, a bridge 875, an external bus 876, aninterface 877, an input device 878, an output device 879, a storage 880,a drive 881, a connection port 882, and a communication device 883. Notethat the hardware configuration illustrated here is an example, and someof the components may be omitted. Furthermore, components other than thecomponents illustrated here may be further included.

(CPU871)

The CPU 871 functions as, for example, an arithmetic processing deviceor a control device, and controls the all of or a part of an operationof each component on the basis of various programs recorded in the ROM872, RAM 873, the storage 880, or a removable recording medium 901.

(ROM872, RAM873)

The ROM 872 is means that stores a program to be read by the CPU 871,data to be used for calculation, and the like. The RAM 873 temporarilyor permanently stores, for example, a program to be read into the CPU871 and various parameters that change as appropriate when the programis executed, and the like.

(Host Bus 874, Bridge 875, External Bus 876, Interface 877)

The CPU 871, the ROM 872, and the RAM 873 are connected to each othervia, for example, the host bus 874 capable of high-speed datatransmission. Whereas, the host bus 874 is connected to the external bus876 having a relatively low data transmission speed via the bridge 875,for example. Furthermore, the external bus 876 is connected to variouscomponents via the interface 877.

(Input Device 878)

As the input device 878, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpanel, a button, a switch, a lever, and the like are used. Moreover, asthe input device 878, a remote controller capable of transmitting acontrol signal (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) by usinginfrared rays or other radio waves may be used. Furthermore, the inputdevice 878 includes a voice input device such as a microphone.

(Output Device 879)

The output device 879 is, for example, a device capable of visually oraudibly notifying a user of acquired information, such as a displaydevice such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), an LCD, or an organic EL, anaudio output device such as a speaker or a headphone, a printer, amobile phone, or a facsimile. Furthermore, the output device 879according to the present disclosure includes various vibration devicesthat can output a tactile stimulus.

(Storage 880)

The storage 880 is a device to store various data. As the storage 880,for example, there is used a magnetic storage device such as a hard diskdrive (HDD), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device,a magneto-optical storage device, or the like.

(Drive 881)

The drive 881 is a device that reads information recorded on theremovable recording medium 901 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk,a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, for example, orwrites information to the removable recording medium 901.

(Removable Recording Medium 901)

The removable recording medium 901 is, for example, DVD media, Blu-ray(registered trademark) media, HD DVD media, various semiconductorstorage media, and the like. Of course, the removable recording medium901 may be, for example, an IC card mounted with a non-contact IC chip,an electronic device, or the like.

(Connection Port 882)

For example, the connection port 882 is a port to connect an externalconnection device 902 such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, anIEEE1394 port, a small computer system interface (SCSI), an RS-232Cport, or an optical audio terminal.

(External Connection Device 902)

The external connection device 902 is, for example, a printer, aportable music player, a digital camera, a digital video camera, an ICrecorder, or the like.

(Communication Device 883)

The communication device 883 is a communication device to connect to anetwork, and for example, a communication card for wired or wirelessLAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless USB (WUSB), a routerfor optical communication, a router for asymmetric digital subscriberline (ADSL), a modem for various communications, or the like.

6. CONCLUSION

As described above, one feature of the autonomous mobile body 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is to generate, onthe basis of the teaching movement, control sequence data for executingan autonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement.Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure can execute an autonomous movement correspondingto the control sequence data described above on the basis of an actionplan determined by situation estimation. According to thisconfiguration, a movement pattern of the autonomous mobile body can beincreased more easily.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedabove in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but thetechnical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to suchexamples. It is obvious that those with ordinary skill in the technicalfield of the present disclosure can arrive various variations ormodifications within the scope of the technical idea described in theclaims, and it is naturally understood that these also fall within thetechnical scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, the effects described in the present specification aremerely exemplary or illustrative, and not restrictive. That is, thetechnology according to the present disclosure can exhibit other effectsapparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the presentspecification, in addition to the effect described above or instead ofthe effect described above.

Furthermore, the individual steps related to the processing of theautonomous mobile body 10 and the information processing server 20 inthe present disclosure are not necessarily processed in time series inthe order described in the flowchart. For example, the individual stepsrelated to the processing of the autonomous mobile body 10 and theinformation processing server 20 may be processed in an order differentfrom the order described in the flowchart, or may be processed inparallel.

Note that the following configurations are also within the technicalscope of the present disclosure.

(1)

An information processing apparatus including: an operation control unitconfigured to control an operation of a driving unit, in which

the operation control unit generates, on the basis of a teachingmovement, control sequence data for causing a driving unit of anautonomous mobile body to execute an autonomous movement correspondingto the teaching movement, and

causes the driving unit to execute the autonomous movement correspondingto the control sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determinedby situation estimation.

(2)

The information processing apparatus according to (1), in which

the driving unit includes a plurality of joint parts, and

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data includingat least information regarding a change in a rotational position of eachof the joint parts in time series, on the basis of the teachingmovement.

(3)

The information processing apparatus according to (2), in which

the teaching movement includes a physical bending and stretchingmovement of each of the joint parts by a user, and

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data on thebasis of the physical bending and stretching movement.

(4)

The information processing apparatus according to (2) or (3), in which

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data in whicha change in the rotational position is recorded in time series, on thebasis of the rotational position of each of the joint parts detected bya rotational position sensor.

(5)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to (4),in which

the operation control unit causes the driving unit to execute arelaxation operation related to each of the joint parts in accordancewith a start of a physical bending and stretching movement of each ofthe joint parts by a user.

(6)

The information processing apparatus according to (5), in which

the operation control unit controls a resistance coefficient for arotational motion of an actuator included in each of the joint parts,and causes the driving unit to execute the relaxation operation.

(7)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to (6),in which

the teaching movement includes a motion of a mobile body having a joint,and

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data on thebasis of an imaged motion of the mobile body.

(8)

The information processing apparatus according to (7), in which

on the basis of an estimated position of a joint of the mobile body, theoperation control unit acquires each of the joint parts of the drivingunit corresponding to the joint, and generates the control sequencedata.

(9)

The information processing apparatus according to (8), in which

the operation control unit generates, on the basis of magnitude of abending and stretching motion related to the joint of the mobile body,the control sequence data in which a rotational position of each of thejoint parts of the driving unit corresponding to the joint is recorded.

(10)

The information processing apparatus according to (8) or (9), in which

the operation control unit dynamically trims a part of a bending andstretching motion related to the joint of the mobile body, and generatesthe control sequence data in which a rotational position of each of thejoint parts of the driving unit is recorded.

(11)

The information processing apparatus according to (10), in which

in a case where a bending and stretching motion related to the joint ofthe mobile body exceeds a range of motion of each of the joint partscorresponding to the joint, the operation control unit dynamically trimsa part of the bending and stretching motion exceeding the range ofmotion.

(12)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (7) to(11), in which

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data based ona motion of the mobile body regardless of presence or absence of anexplicit instruction from a user.

(13)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(12), in which

the operation control unit associates and stores the generated controlsequence data and an incentive situation that induces an autonomousmovement corresponding to the control sequence data.

(14)

The information processing apparatus according to (13), in which

the incentive situation is estimated on the basis of collected sensorinformation.

(15)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(14), in which

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data includingposition information of the autonomous mobile body.

(16)

The information processing apparatus according to (15), in which

the operation control unit generates the control sequence data includingrelative position information regarding a plurality of the autonomousmobile bodies.

(17)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(16), further including:

an action planning unit configured to make an action plan based onsituation estimation.

(18)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(17), in which

the information processing apparatus is an autonomous mobile bodyincluding the driving unit.

(19)

An information processing method including:

controlling, by a processor, an operation of a driving unit, in which

the controlling further includes

generating, on the basis of a teaching movement, control sequence datafor causing a driving unit of an autonomous mobile body to execute anautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement; and

causing the driving unit to execute the autonomous movement according tothe control sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined bysituation estimation.

(20)

A program for causing a computer to function as

an information processing apparatus including:

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of adriving unit, in which

the operation control unit generates, on the basis of a teachingmovement, control sequence data for causing a driving unit of anautonomous mobile body to execute an autonomous movement correspondingto the teaching movement, and

causes the driving unit to execute the autonomous movement according tothe control sequence data, on the basis of an action plan determined bysituation estimation

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   10 Autonomous mobile body-   110 Input unit-   120 Recognition unit-   130 Learning unit-   140 Action planning unit-   150 Operation control unit-   160 Driving unit-   170 Output unit-   510 Display-   570 Actuator-   20 Information processing server-   210 Learning unit-   220 Action recommendation unit-   230 Analysis unit-   240 Storage unit

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: an operation controlunit configured to control an operation of a driving unit of anautonomous mobile body, generate, on a basis of a teaching movement,control sequence data for causing the driving unit of the autonomousmobile body to execute an autonomous movement corresponding to theteaching movement, wherein the teaching movement includes at least oneof a movement using the operation the driving unit and visualinformation by a display unit of the autonomous mobile body, and causethe driving unit to execute the autonomous movement corresponding to thecontrol sequence data, on a basis of an action plan determined bysituation estimation, wherein the control sequence data includesinformation including at least one of control signals related totime-series changes of the autonomous movement and sound input, andwherein the operation control unit is implemented via at least oneprocessor.
 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a transmit unit configured to transmit the sequencedata to another information processing apparatus, wherein the transmitunit is implemented via at least one processor.
 3. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous mobilebody includes a plurality of joint parts, and the operation control unitis further configured to generate the control sequence data including atleast information regarding a change in a rotational position of eachjoint part of the plurality of joint parts in time series, on a basis ofthe teaching movement.
 4. The information processing apparatus accordingto claim 3, wherein the teaching movement includes a physical bendingand stretching movement of each joint part of the plurality of jointparts by a user, and the operation control unit is further configured togenerate the control sequence data on a basis of the physical bendingand stretching movement.
 5. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the operation control unit is furtherconfigured to generate the control sequence data in which a change inthe rotational position is recorded in time series on a basis of therotational position of each joint part of the plurality of joint partsdetected by a rotational position sensor.
 6. The information processingapparatus according to claim 3, wherein the teaching movement includes amotion of a mobile body having a joint, and the operation control unitis further configured to generate the control sequence data on a basisof an imaged motion of the mobile body.
 7. The information processingapparatus according to claim 6, wherein on a basis of an estimatedposition of a joint of the mobile body, the operation control unit isfurther configured to acquire each joint part of the plurality of jointparts of the driving unit corresponding to the joint, and generate thecontrol sequence data.
 8. The information processing apparatus accordingto claim 7, wherein the operation control unit is further configured togenerate, on a basis of magnitude of a bending and stretching motionrelated to the joint of the mobile body, the control sequence data inwhich a rotational position of each joint part of the plurality of jointparts of the driving unit corresponding to the joint is recorded.
 9. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein theoperation control unit is further configured to dynamically trim a partof a bending and stretching motion related to the joint of the mobilebody, and generate the control sequence data in which a rotationalposition of each joint part of the plurality of joint parts of thedriving unit is recorded.
 10. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein in a case where a bending and stretchingmotion related to the joint of the mobile body exceeds a range of motionof each joint part of the plurality of joint parts corresponding to thejoint, the operation control unit is further configured to dynamicallytrim a part of the bending and stretching motion exceeding the range ofmotion.
 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the operation control unit is further configured to generate thecontrol sequence data based on a motion of the mobile body regardless ofpresence or absence of an explicit instruction from a user.
 12. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theautonomous mobile body includes a plurality of joint parts, and theoperation control unit is further configured to cause the driving unitto execute a relaxation operation related to each joint part of theplurality of joint parts in accordance with a start of a physicalbending and stretching movement of each joint part of the plurality ofjoint parts by a user, control a resistance coefficient for a rotationalmotion of an actuator included in each joint part of the plurality ofjoint parts, and cause the driving unit to execute the relaxationoperation.
 13. The information processing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the operation control unit is further configured to associateand store the generated control sequence data and an incentive situationthat induces an autonomous movement corresponding to the controlsequence data.
 14. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 13, wherein the incentive situation is estimated on a basis ofcollected sensor information.
 15. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit is furtherconfigured to generate the control sequence data including positioninformation of the autonomous mobile body.
 16. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the operationcontrol unit is further configured to generate the control sequence dataincluding relative position information regarding a plurality of theautonomous mobile bodies.
 17. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: an action planning unitconfigured to make an action plan based on situation estimation, whereinthe action planning unit is implemented via at least one processor. 18.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theinformation processing apparatus is an autonomous mobile body includingthe driving unit.
 19. An information processing method comprising:controlling, by a processor, an operation of a driving unit of anautonomous mobile body, wherein the controlling further includesgenerating, on a basis of a teaching movement, control sequence data forcausing the driving unit of the autonomous mobile body to execute anautonomous movement corresponding to the teaching movement, wherein theteaching movement includes at least one of a movement using theoperation the driving unit and visual information by a display unit ofthe autonomous mobile body, causing the driving unit to execute theautonomous movement corresponding to the control sequence data, on abasis of an action plan determined by situation estimation, and causingthe driving unit to execute a relaxation operation related to each jointpart of the plurality of joint parts in accordance with a start of aphysical bending and stretching movement of each joint part of theplurality of joint parts by a user, wherein the control sequence dataincludes information including at least one of control signals relatedto time-series changes of the autonomous movement and sound input.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon aprogram, which when executed by a computer causes the computer toexecute an information processing method, the method comprising:controlling an operation of a driving unit of an autonomous mobile body,wherein the controlling further includes generating, on a basis of ateaching movement, control sequence data for causing the driving unit ofthe autonomous mobile body to execute an autonomous movementcorresponding to the teaching movement, wherein the teaching movementincludes at least one of a movement using the operation the driving unitand visual information by a display unit of the autonomous mobile body,causing the driving unit to execute the autonomous movementcorresponding to the control sequence data, on a basis of an action plandetermined by situation estimation, and causing the driving unit toexecute a relaxation operation related to each joint part of theplurality of joint parts in accordance with a start of a physicalbending and stretching movement of each joint part of the plurality ofjoint parts by a user, wherein the control sequence data includesinformation including at least one of control signals related totime-series changes of the autonomous movement and sound input.